Letters to the Editor: March 4

In 1959, I voted for the first time in a gubernatorial race for Democrat Bert T. Combs. In 1960, I voted for John F. Kennedy.

Those were the two most important votes I have cast.

From 1920 until 1960 very little had changed for women living in rural Kentucky. We were condemned to a life of drudgery, raising large families, no health-care plan, limited education, isolation, and no reliable birth control.

In the early 1960s three historic events occurred, forever changing life for women in rural Kentucky. Community colleges were established in remote areas; birth control became available; and the Bert Combs Mountain Parkway was constructed, ending isolation.

Rural women went to universities, obtained degrees and occupations. We have fought to keep and further the progress. For 30 years, Sen. Mitch McConnell has not made it easy.

We are a majority. We can send Alison Lundergan Grimes to the Senate.

Betty Jo Lykins

Salyersville

Rich representatives

More than half the politicians on Capitol Hill are millionaires. The majority were not millionaires when they were elected to Congress. As they got richer, citizens got poorer.

That simple inverse relationship reveals the only real threat to America and our way of life.

For example, millionaire politicians produced the half-baked policies that spawned our $17.3 trillion debt. Our bellicose foreign policy raises an obvious question. Is there any reason to believe that it was implemented more intelligently than the Affordable Care Act?

During the last decade, there have been thousands of maiming wounds and flag-covered coffins and trillions of dollars spent with nothing of lasting significance achieved.

What happened to the checks and balances meant to prevent half-baked policies? No ideological differences separate Democrat and Republican millionaires. The differences they profess to have are on-camera. Legislative outcomes unveil their harmony. Simply put, they are a collective sham.

Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama are both guilty of incompetent leadership, but the blame must be directed to where it constitutionally belongs: the House of Representatives.

Obama has a "pen and phone." He cannot pay for his actions with taxpayer dollars until those payments are authorized by the House.

The millionaires in Congress have long demonstrated that they will not voluntarily step down from their gravy trains.

Only voters can turn back the only real threat to America, and such an action would not cost any lives, inflict maiming wounds or waste trillions of taxpayer dollars.

Shafter Bailey

Lexington

Cal no coach

The University of Kentucky's John Calipari may be a good recruiter, but he is certainly not a basketball coach.

It is fortunate for him most of the players he recruits are only subjected to his coaching for one or two years because if he imposed his coaching on his recruits any longer they couldn't play a lick of basketball when they left his excuse for coaching.

One example of his inability to coach was the Kentucky at Mississippi game on Feb. 18.

As for me, I have had enough of his antics.

Carl Sumner

Versailles

Prather on evolution

I am surprised that contributing columnist Paul Prather did not mention that not every creationist necessarily believes that creation transpired over a period of six 24-hour days.

Many people who believe in the biblical story of creation, probably including Pat Robertson, believe in a billions-years-long creation period.

The Hebrew word "yom" that translates to "day" in Genesis can be rendered more than one way. One of those is a "prophetic day" or future period of indeterminate length. With this understanding, the Bible does not have to be assumed to be scientifically mistaken.

Although there is difference of opinion, even among scientists, about how creation started or was sustained, there are many questions posed that material evolutionists have yet to answer.

One of those questions would be, "If matter and the universe are all there is, then why does scientific evidence point to a big bang at a time when there was actually nothing?" The materialist must purport that either matter always existed which defies the second law of thermodynamics or that it arose from nothing.

Another question that material evolutionists have yet to answer is how a world and universe that exhibit both irreducible and specified complexity were brought about by naturalistic forces, or more simply, how do things that have every appearance of being designed come about by means of the random processes of nature?

These points are made only to show that Christians who believe in biblical creation do so on a sound and reasonable basis.

David Burandt

Lexington

Second-grade wisdom

The recent debate about creationism versus evolution reminded me of an incident from many years ago.

My neighbor, Elsie, told me about her grandson, Jake, and my grandson, Ross, playing in her den in a tent she made of opened umbrellas.

The seven-year-old second-graders were having a serious discussion. Ross stated, "The Earth was created by the big bang." Jake replied, "God created the Earth."

To which Ross replied, "He could have done it with the big bang."

No argument, just a friendly discussion. Out of the mouths of babes.

My neighbor said she was so glad she had a newspaper in her hands so she could hide her face to keep them from seeing how she was laughing.

These two boys are now 25 years old. Jake is a pilot with United Airlines and Ross is in the U.S. Navy serving on a nuclear submarine. And both still believe in God.

Charlene R. Johnson

Danville

Lies breed distrust

Every day, and in almost every way, we are bombarded with political parties that use deceit and outright lies to make their points. The people realize they are being lied to.

Almost never is there an effort to work together to solve the problems that the people face. When the primary leader of the country blatantly lies and refuses to work with his/her opponents on behalf of the people, he/she sets the tone for the rest of the practitioners.

For parties to pass laws that they haven't read just for political purposes is an unforgivable sin against the people. To lie and deceive to justify the passing of those laws is another sin.

When the people are lied to by their leaders they soon begin to understand that the representatives are working solely to position themselves into power and wealth. They are robbing the people and leading the nation into serious decline. The next thing on the horizon is rebellion against this unjust and criminal representation.